Uganda
Coalition building
In Uganda, a National Sanitation Working Group (NSWG) was set up in 2003, to coordinate and promote hygiene and sanitation in the country. The NSWG includes six different Ministries (Finance, Planning and Economic Development; Health; Education and Sports; Water, Lands and Environment; Local Government; and Gender, Labour and Social Development), the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Kampala City Council, development partners such as the Water and Sanitation Program Africa and UNICEF, and NGOs such as Uganda Water and Sanitation Network (UWASNET) and WaterAid.
The Secretariat of the NSWG is provided by the Environmental Health Division within the Ministry of Health.
The NSWG has incorporated the WASH campaign, which aims to contribute to the acceleration of progress towards achieving the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals.
WASH in Uganda
The WASH campaign has been instrumental in bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, resulting in improved communication and coordination. The Minister for Water, Lands and Environment (former Minister of State for Water) Mrs. Maria Mutagamba has played a key role in promoting the global WASH campaign, and is one of the co-convenors of the global Women Leaders for WASH initiative.
Activities, Milestones and Major Achievements
As a testament to the value of effective coordinating bodies, achievements of the National Sanitation Working Group so far have included:
- The influencing of sanitation budgets in the water and sanitation sector and the line ministries,
- promotion and advocacy for an annual national sanitation week,
- development of a ten-year Improved Sanitation and Hygiene (ISH) Financing Strategy;
- documentation of Best Operational Practices (BoPs); and
- the initiation of a nationwide hand washing campaign.
As the first national-level spin-off of the global Women Leaders for WASH initiative, in February 2007 Uganda organised the first 'Women Leaders for WASH' symposium, attended among others by a large number of Members of Parliament, Uganda's First Lady, and Mrs. Sherie Blair, wife of the British Prime Minister. The wide attendance showed that water, sanitation and hygiene have not only been recognised as priority issues in Uganda, but can also count on a high level of political commitment and organisation.
